


Fool’s Gambit

by Amrita_Vein



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amputation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blackmail, Crack-adjacent, Everyone is a rebel and everyone is a narc, Force Choking (Star Wars), Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulation, Multi, No Beta, Poly, TRUST NO ONE, The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors, Torture, did I mention killing sprees?, improper use of the force, just two dudes going on a feral killing spree to save the man they love, lockdown made me write this, murder spree at the end, murder sprees as therapy, using the force to wreck your enemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:02:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23286724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrita_Vein/pseuds/Amrita_Vein
Summary: Uncertain of Grand Admiral Thawn and the Inquisitor’s loyalty, the Emperor has come up with the ultimate test: take from them the thing, or in this case, person, they love the most. Not only that, but the Emperor has set the two former lovers against one another as they desperately attempt to capture the Lothal rebels in order to secure freedom of a captured and tortured Eli Vanto.It’s a mad descent into darkness and compromised morals as Mitth’raw’nuruodo and the Grand Inquisitor fight against the clock and one another to achieve the results that their Emperor demands
Relationships: Grand Inquisitor/Eli Vanto, Grand Inquisitor/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Grand Inquisitor/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Fool’s Gambit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [star_wars_rebels_4](https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_wars_rebels_4/gifts).



> 1\. Please let me know if I should adjust the tags on this.
> 
> 2\. If you’re curious what the amputated body part is, it’s a left hand, severed a couple inches above the wrist and then cut in two.

In a plush coruscant hotel room, the grand inquisitor slept curled around admiral Thrawn. They had both been called back to the capital on separate business. Eli had surprised them by booking them adjoining hotel rooms for the trip. The interior door had allowed Quizzy to come into Thrawn’s room discreetly the night before. Really, this had been their most enjoyable trip to the capital, the two of them had decided, sex was such a good way to release stress and tension after all. Before they had completely drifted off, bodies languid and spent, Thrawn had whispered some positively sinful suggestions he’d had on how they could show their appreciation for Eli in the future. Quizzy had hummed In sleepy agreement as he drifted off into the comfortable oblivion of sleep, held tightly in Thrawn’s arms.

When Quizzy slept with Thrawn and Eli, his dreams were usually nonexistent or mundanly pleasant. So seeing Eli’s face in his sleep did not surprise him at first. He loved looking at that human’s warm, expressive face, especially when he was telling him exactly what to do.

So it was somewhat unsettling to see elis face tense in fear and confusion. To see anger and terror in his features. To watch as he vehemently denied something to someone- no, two someones as his terrified gaze darted back and forth. And then he was clutching at his neck, unable to breathe.

Quizzy’s heart sped up, the nightmare affecting him. In his dream, Eli was thrashing now against some invisible restraint, rising off the floor.

A deep voice spoke. A voice he knew and feared.

“If you will not tell me where their loyalties lie then **_I_ ** will have to find out for myself.”

A flash of red and a scream followed by a thud and cackling laughter. Quizzy woke up screaming.

***

“ _ ELI NO!!!! _ ” The inquisitor sat up bolt straight in bed, panting and sweating hard. Clear distress on his features.

Thrawn reached over to comfort him, trying to ease the distraught pau’an into his embrace, “what’s wrong? Quizz? Are you—?”

Quizzy spoke rapidly, erratically over his admiral. “I had a vision Thrawn. Eli- he’s—“

“A vision, or a dream?”

“A  _ vision _ . I was there. And  _ Vader— _ he is with him.” 

The Chiss narrowed his eyes and spoke with intention, as if Force of will could make it so. “That cannot be, he’s stationed with the  _ Chimaera _ back in the mid-rim.

“No… he isn’t there anymore,” Quizzy blinked and reached into the force, “he’s here.”

“ _ No _ .”

Thrawn rushed out of the bed to access his datapad. There was a blinking notification on it, he blanched. Fear was such an unknown expression on the Chiss warrior’s face, Quizzy needed a moment to process it all. 

He didn’t have that moment.

“The Emperor has summoned us both. We are expected in his office before firstmeal today. There is no reason for the meeting stated and I, I am finding myself afraid.”

Quizzy hugged Thrawn from behind, and stepped over to his own datapad. He left one hand on the small of Thrawn’s back, trying to send soothing energy into the Chiss as he booted up his datapad. He knew of Thrawn’s great unspoken fear of the Force and this— the same urgent summons on his own pad, playing into every deep and repressed fear the admiral had.

Thrawn and Quizzy hurriedly dressed and headed to the Imperial Palace, where they were met with a waiting envoy of crimson-robed imperial guards. The guards escorted the pair to the Emperors chambers, where they stood at attention, waiting to hear the nature of their summons.

And the Emperor made them wait.

The Inquisitor could not lose himself in the force, he found himself too distraught to meditate, his thoughts continuing to drift back on his vision of Eli in pain. Thrawn, for his part, could school his face and body into rigid posture but do nothing for the bead of sweat dripping down his temple. 

A crushing sense of dark and dread crowded around their thoughts. The darkness only intensified as the minutes dragged on.

Eventually, Lord Vader and the Emperor entered the chamber through a side door. Their body language told the Inquisitor all he needed to know- their relationship had been found out and Eli had been caught. The Emperor wanted to know where their loyalties lay, and began his questioning without preamble.

“Mitth’raw’nuruodo, Grand Inquisitior, I find myself pondering questions of your loyalty that are most distasteful. Are you still working for the vision of my Empire? Why have you struggled so much with not capturing the Lothal rebels and Jedi? What will you do to ensure success? Your perverse behavior inspires the question- are you two starting some kind of secret alien uprising? 

“We have a confession from him,” the Emperor paused for a moment, his yellow eyes gleaming. “The two of you could be publicly tried and shamed for your dalliance, the consequences extreme for so many reasons- aliens taking advantage of a subordinate human will not be looked upon kindly by our courts. How revolting your relationship is, it is vile and has made you  _ weak _ . Your pet has spoken out against my Empire multiple times onboard your flagship, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, do not doubt me. Agents have retrieved recordings of him critical of Imperial labor practices  _ and _ your decisive victory at Creekpath. He is a confirmed traitor, the two of you are lucky my agents intervened when we did- to save you from your own poor judgement.”

Vader spoke then, deeply and with smug menace, “you have proven yourselves to be unreliable assets of the empire. But you are  _ still _ assets of the empire. It is time you are reminded of your place. Perhaps a token of the emperor’s generosity will rekindle your loyalty and improve your weak performance?”

Vader turned to a table behind him and with the force, levitated two small black boxes across the dias and in front of the inquisitor and the admiral. The two men looked at him expectantly and, to Vader’s satisfaction, fearfully. Both the Chiss and pau’an still attempted to hold themselves at attention, but the  _ fear _ that Vader could feel rolling off them in the force,  _ that _ was satisfying. The Sith Lord levitated the two boxes into their outstretched hands. 

Neither man opened them. 

“Go on gentlemen, open your presents” the emperor said. 

Hesitantly, Thrawn and the Inquisitor delicately opened the black plastiod boxes.

The emperor smiled and spoke then, “part of a hand for each of you to hold. I imagine you’ll be wanting sympathy and emotional coddling in the coming days do here is something familiar. Now, your little wild space liability is safe in Imperial custody for now and will suffer no further harm should your performance improve. And to whom ever brings me Ezra Bridger, I will even release what’s left of your pet to you, though I imagine he might not ever want to see the two of you again. Lord Vader took great care to inform him of the exact nature of his crimes. As for the one of you who fails to bring me Bridger, consider that your official _resignation_. Do we have an understanding?”

Both men kneeled before the Sith Lord and pledged, “yes, my emperor.”

“Good. Lord Vader, I am tired of seeing these two aliens, escort them to their next meeting.” The emperor commanded and turned away on his dias, retreating with his red-cloaked guards. 

“This way.” Vader beckoned, and strode out the chamber, Thrawn and the Inquisitor in tow.

  
  
  


Vader led them through the imperial palace in what Thrawn considered to be a purposely circuitous way. The emperor’s enforcer was known for his penchant for dramatics, he likely wanted to increase their emotional turmoil and unease by drawing out the journey to their next destination.

The admiral squinted his eyes in anger at the fearful glances of enlisted staff that crossed their path along the way.  _ Fools _ . All of them. He counted himself in that number now as well. How could he have been so careless with Eli’s life? It should be him locked in imperial custody, he had the heart and training to withstand and comprehend torture. Eli- Eli was too good for this galaxy and did not deserve his fate. Thrawn vowed he would have proper vengeance for Eli even if it was with his dying breath.

Finally, Vader stopped in the foyer for ISB’s executive suites. A protocol droid welcomed them and invited the trio into an adjoining conference room. At the head of a large table sat Colonel Yularen, looking grim and flanked by special agents Kallus and Dayja.

“Lord Vader,” Colonel Yularen bowed to the Dark Lord before turning his gaze to Thrawn and the Inquisitor. His eyes lingered on the boxes they held and he did not attempt to hide his sneer of disappointment.

“Grand Admiral, and Inquisitor,” he addressed them now, “I am sorry it has had to come to this. You two surprise me with your brazen lack of consideration for human life, I would not have believed the news had I not extracted the confession from Vanto himself.”

“As part of your probation, the two of you have been assigned full compliments of ISB agents to insure your productivity and loyalty to the empire. Consider yourselves on working house arrest. The emperor has assigned you with a critical mission regarding the Lothal insurgents and their external helpers. We have reason to believe Atollon is the location of their base.

“Agent Dayja, your team will be with the Grand Inquisitor while Agent Kallus will be with Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Seventh Fleet. Be aware gentlemen, all of your communiques will be screened through your agents, and your supervising agents have been assigned their own personal detail of death troopers to protect them should either of you be feeling particularly rambunctious.”

Yularen stood and folded his hands behind his back. “That’s all I have to say to you two. Your handlers will take care of the rest and now I have other business to attend to. I suggest you learn to get used to your new normal.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here we are. This wild ride of a story woke me up at 6 am today begging to be written. Expect time skips, increased canon divergence, angst, and violence from here on out. There will be an eventual happy ending, and Eli will make it out in good shape- nothing worse will happen to him I promise, but we will see him sad in isolation. 
> 
> We will also see some glorious sacking of ISB headquarters. 😈


End file.
